Friday 1 April it’s time for the mother of all draws. Who will meet the Dutch national team in the group stage of the World Cup? From key dates to participating countries and pot distribution, here’s everything you need to know about the tournament in Qatar.
When and where is the 2022 World Cup?
The World Cup will take place in Qatar and will be finished in the winter months instead of the summer because of the heat. The tournament starts on Monday, November 21 in Al Khor with a game against host country Qatar. The final will be played in Doha a week before Christmas, on Sunday 18 December.
Qatar is automatically qualified as an organizer for the World Cup. Four-time world champions Germany was the first country to qualify from Europe, while Brazil – the most successful country in World Cup history with five overall victories – quickly grabbed a ticket as one of the four best teams in South America. Title holder France is also there again. The Netherlands won Group G and is back in the global final tournament after eight years.
Which countries participate in the World Cup?
Of the 32 countries that will participate in the World Cup in Qatar, 29 are now known.
Europa (13 WK-tickets)
Twelve countries placed: France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, NETHERLANDS, Portugal and Poland. Ukraine will face Scotland in June. The winner will face Wales. Bet is the last European World Cup ticket.
South America (4 or 5 World Cup tickets)
Four countries qualified: Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay. Peru will face Australia or the United Arab Emirates in the intercontinental play-off, to be played in June.
Asia (5 or 6 World Cup tickets)
Five countries qualified: Qatar, Iran, South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Australia and the United Arab Emirates play a play-off. The winner will face Peru.
Afrika (5 WK-tickets)
Five countries placed: Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia and Cameroon.
North and Central America (3 or 4 World Cup tickets)
Three countries placed: Canada, Mexico and the United States. Costa Rica, the number four in the qualifying group, will meet New Zealand.
Oceania (0 or 1 World Cup ticket)
New Zealand won the Solomon Islands jump-off this week and will face Costa Rica, the number four qualifying cycle in North and Central America, in June.
In the World Cup draw, 29 of the 32 participants are known. The last three tickets will be distributed in June in the intercontinental play-offs and the final of the European play-offs, which has been postponed due to the Russian war in Ukraine.
When and where is the World Cup draw?
The draw will start on Friday, April 1, around 6 PM Dutch time in Doha. Louis van Gaal fails a positive PCR test and is replaced by assistant national coach Danny Blind.
Which countries can the Netherlands hit and what is the pot distribution?
In the World Cup draw, 32 countries are divided into eight groups. The countries come from four pots, each consisting of eight countries. Host country Qatar and the seven highest placed countries in the FIFA world ranking as of March 31 are in pot 1. The Netherlands is in the second pot and can therefore hit a top country.
Pot 1: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal
Pot 2: Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, United States and Croatia
Pot 3: Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea and Tunisia
Pot 4: Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Wales/Ukraine/Scotland, Peru/Australia/United Arab Emirates and Costa Rica/New Zealand.
Each group does not contain more than one country from one continental football association, with the exception of Europe which cannot have more than two countries in one group. So: five groups with two European countries and three groups with one European country.
What does the World Cup format and schedule look like?
The 2022 World Cup will consist of 32 countries in eight groups of four. Four matches will be played each day during the group stage, which spans a period of 12 days. The numbers one and two advance to the eighth finals. After the draw, it will be determined where and when the Netherlands – and all other participants – will play their matches, so that the World Cup organization can choose optimal times for the television audience.
Group stage: November 21 to December 2
Eighth finals: December 3 to 6
Quarter-finals: December 9 and 10
Semi-finals: December 13 and 14
Consolation final December 17th
Final: December 18
What time do the matches at the World Cup start?
FIFA has confirmed that the first two rounds of matches will start at 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM Dutch time. The matches in the third round and the knockout phase will start at 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
What are the play locations?
The group matches will take place in eight stadiums: Khalifa International Stadium (Doha), Al Thumama Stadium (Doha), Ras Abu Aboud Stadium (Doha), Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor), Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (Ar Rayyan), Education City Stadium (Ar Rayyan), Lusail Stadium (Lusail), Al Janoub Stadium (Al Wakrah).
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